When the game shut down, I took my skills with me.

A month later.

Lu Yuan lay on the rooftop terrace of the villa, squinting as he basked in the perfectly timed sunlight.

On the small table beside me was a glass of cola with ice and lime, with fine water droplets condensing on the glass.

He stretched and felt like his bones were about to melt.

This is life.

A month ago, he simply formatted the entire "Gods and Demons Era" system because he found it too troublesome, and then installed a brand new "New Era 1.0" version. The world has finally become peaceful.

There were no more world-ending crises popping up all the time, no more ugly monsters running around everywhere, and no more "Dihua" legion trying to figure out his thoughts every day.

With only one sun in the sky, the temperature is automatically regulated by Antarctica's "new air conditioning," resulting in distinct seasons and a pleasant climate.

He finally lived the life he had always dreamed of: a dull, boring, rich, and leisurely life.

"Brother Yuan, freshly grilled lamb skewers, with double the cumin!" Fatty Wang came running over with a large plate, the aroma filling the air.

Lu Yuan picked up a skewer, took a bite, and found it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with oil oozing from it.

"Hmm, not bad," he mumbled in praise.

Just then, Xiaoya's holographic projection appeared beside her and began her daily routine report.

"Sir, according to data monitoring over the past month, the 'New Era' system is running stably without any bugs."

"Global survivors have largely adapted to the new rules, and social order is being rapidly rebuilt."

As Xiaoya spoke, she opened several data windows in front of Lu Yuan.

The first window shows Dr. Chen and his group of eccentric scientists. They established the "Academy of Systems Law and Applications," publishing papers every day.

Congratulations! Your paper, "On the Positive Catalytic Effect of Psionic Particles in Plant Photosynthesis," has been rated as "Pioneering Knowledge" by the system, and you have been awarded the skill: Life's Aria.

[Congratulations! You have successfully deciphered the grammatical structure of the "Goblin Rune". Your proficiency in "Ancient Linguistics" has increased, and you are rewarded with the skill: Persuasion through Words.]

Lu Yuan's eyes twitched as he looked at the prompts.

Once upon a time, these rewards were reserved for the mighty men who slew dragons. Now, even writing a thesis can be a way to level up.

The second window is the base of other survivors outside of the "Ark".

A middle-aged man who was originally a farmer was rewarded by the system with the profession of "Blessing of the Earth" and became the Minister of Agriculture because he cultivated "fluorescent wheat" that could grow on slightly polluted land.

A young man who used to be a programmer became the chief engineer after optimizing the energy distribution network of the safe zone, saving 30% of energy consumption, and mastering the special skill of "energy network construction".

"Knowledge is power, and now that's the truth," Lu Yuan muttered, taking a sip of his cola.

When he initially designed the new system, his goal was to prevent the world from becoming a place of constant fighting and killing, so he placed a high weight on behaviors such as "knowledge," "creation," and "protection."

In retrospect, the results have been outstanding.

The third window features Lin Wei and a group of pure combat players, including the "Swordsman".

Their lives weren't so easy under the new system.

The old monsters have been cleared out, and they can only grind monsters in the "Trial Area" designated by the system. The monsters in those areas are no longer mindless beasts, but are like exam questions, requiring specific skills, attributes, and even environmental interaction to defeat.

Because she can't find a worthy opponent, Lin Wei has recently become obsessed with... cooking. According to Fatty Wang, she can cut steak like a work of art, with every cut conforming to the golden ratio.

The system even rewarded her with a life skill: [Butcher's Skill].

Lu Yuan looked at these changes and nodded in satisfaction.

How good.

The world is moving towards a peaceful, stable, and productive world where everyone is "boosting" their productivity.

And he, as the supreme god of this world, can now lie down in peace.

"Sir," Xiaoya's report continued, "In addition, Mr. Qin Shiyue disbanded all the behavioral analysis teams targeting you a month ago. Now they have established the 'New Era Rules Study Group,' and their focus has shifted entirely to studying the rules you have formulated."

"Oh? Those guys have finally stopped imagining things?" Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, they believe that instead of trying to guess God's thoughts, it's better to learn the laws God has established," Xiaoya replied calmly.

"That's more like it." Lu Yuan was in a better mood and picked up another skewer of lamb.

However, just as he was preparing to enjoy the beautiful afternoon, a gentle, completely different new system announcement resounded in the minds of everyone in the world.

[Global Mission Begins: The Cornerstone of Civilization]

[Mission Description: After destruction comes rebirth. A stable society is the cornerstone for civilization to set sail again. All surviving factions, please use your wisdom and unity to build your own cities.]

[Mission Objective: Within three months, independently construct a fully functional, ecologically sustainable "New Era Demonstration City" with a population exceeding 100,000.]

[Quest Reward: The first faction to complete the quest will receive the world-class blessing "Fertile Land," permanently increasing the output of all resources within their territory by 50%, and will also receive the blueprint for the special building "Hero Academy."]

[Countdown begins...]

The world fell silent for a second after the announcement was made.

The next second, it completely boiled over!

Inside the "Ark" command center, Qin Shiyue and Su Muqiu exchanged a glance, both seeing the flames in each other's eyes.

"A world-class blessing! Permanently increase resource production by 50%!" Qin Shiyue's voice trembled. "This is the Master guiding us from mere survival to sustainable development!"

"My Hero Academia...this must be the key to cultivating the next generation of strong individuals!" Su Muqiu immediately began planning on his tablet. "We must take first place!"

In the "Sword of Oracle" guild, guild leader Xiao Xue suddenly stood up, her eyes flashing with ambition.

"Everyone, get moving! Architects, planners, logistics staff! This is a chance to reshuffle the deck! We, 'The Oracle,' will build the best city ever!"

In an instant, all forces around the world were like they had been injected with chicken blood, falling into a new round of frantic "involution".

However, this time they weren't after combat power, but rather farming, infrastructure development, and technological advancement.

……

On the villa's terrace.

Lu Yuan was stunned by the sudden announcement.

He forgot to eat the lamb skewers in his hand.

"When did I issue this kind of task?" He looked at Xiaoya with a puzzled expression.

Xiaoya's eyes flashed blue light. After performing trillions of data self-checks, she shook her head at him.

"Sir, no commands from you were detected. There is no record of this task in the database."

Lu Yuan frowned.

It wasn't him, and it wasn't Xiaoya either.

Where did this task come from?

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the deepest level of the "New Era" system. He saw that the core code he had written was running perfectly, but above the core, countless tiny codes, formed by the "collective consciousness" and "behavioral data" of all humanity, were spontaneously interacting, evolving, and ultimately giving birth to this brand-new "global mission".

In order to make the system more "intelligent" and more "human-centered", he casually added a module for "self-improvement and iteration based on user behavior".

Unexpectedly... it started working overtime on its own?

Lu Yuan opened his eyes, his expression turning somewhat strange.

He felt like a programmer who wanted to leave work as soon as he finished writing the code, only to find that his code had developed its own ideas, not only updating itself but also proactively assigning KPIs to users.

Just then, his private communicator rang.

It was Su Muqiu calling; her voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement and admiration.

"Mr. Lu! You are truly amazing! While we are still struggling to survive, you have already planned the next step for the revival of civilization! We will definitely live up to your expectations and take first place!"

Lu Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to say, "I didn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense."

But the words stuck in his throat.

He sighed and replied listlessly, "...Oh, well, good luck then."

After hanging up the call, Lu Yuan looked at the glass of cola on the table. Most of the ice in it had melted, and it was no longer refreshing.

His long-awaited perfect salted fish life seems to have... vanished again.

"What a hassle."